Knockdown export packing box



Aug. 12 1924. Y l A. MILLER KNOCKDOWN EXPORT PACKING BOX Filed May' 17. 1923 s sheets-sheet. i

Vw M; A i@ Q Aug. 12, 1924.

` A. MILLER xNocKDowN EXPORT PACKING Box Filed May 17. 1923 l 3 Shts--Sheat 2 Aug. 12 1924.

` A. MILLER KNQCKDOWN EXPORT PACKING BOX Filed May 17. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 *a unskilled labor.

Patented Aug. l2, 1924.

UNiTED STATES ADOLPH MILLER, OF KIRKWOOD,

:KNOCKDOWN nxron'r 'racxme Box.

Application filed May1'7, 1923. Serial No. 639,566.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Arioitrrrv MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Kirkwood, county of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Export Packing Boxes, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in knockdown export packing boxes and has for its primary object a packing'box which can be readily set up or taken apart and which can be used numerous times.

A further object is to construct a packing box whicliis composed of sect-ions which can be readily assembled for holding' goods for export purposes, and which can be taken apart and returned to the shipper so that the same can be reused a number of times, and which is so arranged that no tools other than a wrench are necessary to assemble the box.

My device is primarily intended forthe shipment of automobiles. The present mode of shipping automobiles is to build a box for each machine, which box must be torn apart when the destination is reached. A box of this kind costs considerable money to construct. The present cost of such a pack- Ying box for a small machine being fifty dollars or more and this when constructed by Boxes so constructed very frequently are not properly braced and se cured and become wobbly or collapse during shipment in delays and also to damage to the contents as lwell as a great waste of lumber.

My device is constructed in a factory by skilled labor and with the proper machinery to make a complete solidbox which can be shipped to the user knock-down and set up at the point of use by unskilled labor, and after the shipment reaches its destination, the box can be readily taken apart and returned to the shipper. In this way a great sum of money is saved the shipper as well as a considerable saving of lumber. And the shipper will be enabled to reduce the selling price of his product due to the fact that the case is returned to him for reuse.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my box in assembled position;

thin water proof sheet metal.

showing the manner of X reinforcing the same Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the corner plate .made use of in Fig. t; Y

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the top showing the manner of reinforcing the' same;

. Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmental side view with portion of the frame used for thetop and bottom showing one of the lockY plates;

Fig.V 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 9 9 of'Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view taken through 'one of the lock plates showing the manner in which the sides and ends are secured to the top and bottom;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional View showing the manner of securing the sides and ends together;

Fig. 12 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 9 showing a different manner of attaching the lock plates;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged fraginental section taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 3 and illustrating one method of forming the joint between side sections;

Fig. 14; is a similar view showing another method of forming the joint.

In the construction ofmy device I make use of a box having a bottom 15, a top 16, ends 17 and sides composed preferablyV of sections 18 and 19. The bottom 15 and top 16 comprise a rectangular frame having side members 2O and end member 21. rIhis frame is braced by means of a longitudinal bar 22 and lateral braces 23. The braces 22 and 23 are cut away at the point where they cross so that they fit into each other. That is, a notch extending half the width of the braces is cut in each brace so that when the parts are assembled they will iit together snugly and lie in the same plane, this supports the braces at that point and prevents shifting. Over the braces and frame is secured a sheet of water proof material 24. This water proof material may be either `a water proof paper, a water proof fabric or Over this vend 39 of the bolt 35 projects. this screw threaded end are placed a nut 40 be formed at the corners.

layer of Water proofing are secured boards 25. These boards are preferably provided along their'edges with'a ship-lap or tongue and groove, this being optional with the manufacturer.

It will be noted from Fig. 6 that the water proofing 24 and boards 25 extend beyond the frame so as to form a flange 26. This flange is also Vpresent on the bottom and is of such width as to cover the edges of the sides and ends. The sides 2,0andends 21 of the frame are provided in the outer faces With recesses 27 over which lock plates 28 are secured'. These lock? platesY may be used set flushed with the surface of the sides and ends 20and 21 respectively, as illustrated in Figs. 8and 9, or they may be attached'on Vthe face, as illustrated in Fig. k12..` The lock plates are secured in position by means of screws 29 and are provided with openings 30 and also with slots 31 which communicate with the openings 30. The purpose of these slots willbe explained in detail later.

The sidev and end members lare composed of rectangular frames 32 which are covered first, with a water proof material 33, similar to the top and bottom, over which' a layer of Wood 34 is secured. This part of the construction isA exactly like the top and bottom with the exception that the sides and ends have no projecting anges. Projecting through the frame 32 of the side and end umembers', are carriage bolts 35 which have the usual rectangular portion 36 and a head 37. In the outer face of the sides and ends are recesses38 into which the screw threaded And over and a washer 41. Aft-er the nut and Washer have been placed on the bolt, 'the end is upset as illustrated in Fig. 10. This prevents the nut from being removed entirely from the bolt and. becoming lost. It will be noted in Fig. 10 that the'rectangular portion of the bolt is partially imbedded in the frame 32, this prevents it from turning, as the rectangular portion 36 is designed to enter the slot 31, which slot is onlyslightly wider than the rectangular portion so that the bolt cannot turn therein when the nut 40 is tightened.

Extending diagonallyl across the side sections and the ends Yare reinforcing wires 42.

These wires are preferably brought around the corner of the frame, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and are then twisted, which draws the frame tightly together, and in order to prevent the wires from mashing into the wood, I make use of the corner plates 43, which may be provided with a depression or groove 44in which the wire rests. The purpose of this groove or depression is to prevent shifting of the corner plates and also to allow the wire to lie flush so that no projection will The top is braced by means of wires 45 and 46. These wires are so arranged as Ato tighten the corners and also draw` the side members close to the braces 23. The manner of accomplishing this is illustrated in Fig. 6. The wires 45 and 46 are passed over the bar 22 and cross each other, thus not only serving to stiften the frame but also to support the bar 22. This is especially essential in the top because export packing boxes are piled one on top of the other in the hold of the ship and if the top ofthe box is not very substantial, there isdanger of it being crushed. The wires 45 and 46 are secured at their crossing point to the bar 22`by means of staples or other fastening means 47. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the bottom is divided into six compartments by means of the braces 22 and 23. In'thc bottom, only the center compartment is braced by means of wires 4S. This is especially essential when used for shipping automobiles, as the two compartments at one end. are `provided with strips 49 having a recess 50, which are designed to receive the front axle of the automobile, and the compartment at the other end' provided with Strips 51 having recesses 52, which receive the rear axle of the automobile. The wheels are placed in the compartments at each end and secured there in any well known manner. After the automobile has been placed in position, straps are placed over the axles and secured to the bars 49 and 5l, which prevents the automobile from lifting. IVhile the notches or recesses 50 and 52 prevent lateral movement.

In order to prevent the sides and ends of the box from separating, I make use of a lag screw 53 which passes through the side members and into the frame of the end member. This effectually prevents any bulging -Aor opening up of the ljoint between the ends Vand sides.

This securing means is clearlyY illustrated in Figs. 1 and l1. And while I have shown only one lag screw, it is obvious that more may be employed if found necessary.

The manner of assembling my box is as follows :-The bottom is first placed on the floor with the frame up, then the nuts on the lower edges of the side members are loosened and the bolts tapped with a hammer or Wrench so as to Vforce the heads away from the frame. rIhe heads of the bolts are then introduced through the opening 30 in the lock plates 28 and the side members moved longitudinally so that the rectangular portion of the bolt enters the slot 3l.. The nuts are then tightened up securely and the side members and the frame are held in place.

VThe top member is then put in position on vent any tampering with the nuts during shipment, as well as to prevent any possibility of the sides slipping due to traflic strains, metallic straps 54 are placed around the sides and ends in such a manner as to cover the recesses 38. These straps are secured in any vwell known manner, such as by nails.

In the large export boxes, the top and bottom are made in one piece while the sides are preferably composed of two or more sections, as illustrated. And in order to make a tight joint between the abutting edges of the sections., I employ a fabric 55, such as felt or the like. This practically excludes all dust and moisture. I may however, instead of employing` fabric, use rubber or other resilient materia-l and accomplish the same purpose. This manner of preparing the joint is fully illustrated in Fig. 13.

In Fig. 14 I have found another way of preparing this joint in which the covering or boards- 25 are so arranged as to over-lap each other in the case of shiplap or in the tongue orgroove joint the tongue would be on one section and the groove on the other. This however is not as desirable as the method shown in Fig. 13 because there is a possibility of the ship-lap or tongue being split off. This also prevents my using the sides inter-changeable.

It is not necessary to provide stripping for the ends because the lag screw 53 will draw the sides and ends together sufficiently tight.

I may also if desired, strap the box around the ends, pass the straps over the lag screw 53 so as to prevent any access thereto while the goods are in transit.

I/Vhile I have described my box as intended for export use and as adapted for automobiles, still' it is obvious that the same can be used for various other purposes, such as piano boxes and the like, in fact for any kind of a shipping box which requires a considerable amount of lumber and necessitates the use of a strong rigid box. This box can also be made available for shipping machinery or various otherarticles, and in the case of smaller boxes, the sides are constructed in one piece, but the larger boxes can facilitate handling and assembling two or more sections, according to the size of the box are preferable.

I may also insteadV of wires for bracing purposes, use rods and turn buckles. This however, would only be used on extremely heavy cases, the wires being sufficient for ordinary purposes.

I may also if desired, eliminate the wooden covering and water proofing and cover the frames with sheet metal, the thickness of which of course, will be governed by the size of the box and the contents thereof.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. A knock-down export packing box comprising a top, a bottom, end and side members, headed means carried by the side and end members and adapted to have the heads thereof engage with the edges of the top and bott-om for holding the box in assembled position, and means for tightening said headed means when in engagement with the top and bottom.

2. i knock-down export packing box comprising a top, a bottom, end and side members, lock piates carried by the top and bottom, fastening means provided with a head carried by the side and end members the heads of said fastening 'means adapted to engage with the lock plates, and means for tightening said fastening means and drawing the heads into engagement with the lock plates.

3. A knock-down export packing box comprising a plurality of frames, said frames forming the top, bottom, sides and ends of the box, one side of each frame provided with a closure, lock plates carried by the frames forming the top and bottom, fastening means projecting through the frames forming the sides and ends, said fastening means adapted to engage with the lock plates for holding the box in assembled position, and means whereby said fastening means are tightened when the box is in assembled position.

4. A knock-down export packing boxqeomprising a plurality of frames having lateral and longitudinal braces, said frames forming the top, bottom, sides and ends of the box, one side of each frame provided with a closure, lock plates carried by the frames forming the top and bottom, fastening means projecting through the frames forming the sides and ends, said fastening means adapted to engage with the lock plates for holding the box in assembled position, and means whereby said fastening means are tightened when the box is in assembled position.

5. The knock-down export packing box of claim 3 in which the frames are provided with reinforcing wires for giving the frames additional rigidity.

6. The knock-down export packing box of claim 4 in which the frames are provided with reinforcing wires for giving the frames additional rigidity.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ADOLPH MILLER. 

